TEACH Grants

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH Grant) program that was created by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. This new grant program went into effect for the 2008-2009 academic year. The President has proposed changes to this program as part of his buget request for the 2012 fiscal year

 In This Section:

School Eligibility | General Program Requirements | Student Eligibility Requirements| TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve / Promise to Pay| What Are the Challenges Teachers Face?

School Eligibility

Since Loyola University New Orleans does not currently offer a teacher certification program, our students are not currently eligible to participate in this program. We will be submitting an application to participate effective with the 2013 fall semester.The legislation that established the program mandates that eligible schools must:

  • Provide high quality teacher preparation and professional development services
  • Provide pedagogical course work, or assistance in the provision of such coursework
  • Provide supervision and support services to teachers

We continue to explore alternative options that may be  available to allow our students to participate in the future.

General Program Requirements

Please CAREFULLY review the Department of Education's "Frequently Asked Questions" about the TEACH Grant Program. This important fact sheet was developed by the Department of Education

  • The grant must be repaid as Direct Unsubsisized Stafford Loan if student does not fufill ALL of the requirements of the program. Interest will accrue from date(s) of original disbursement.
  • A student can receive up to $4,000 per year for an undergraduate degree($16,000 aggregate for a 4 year program) .A graduate student can receive $4,000 per year ($8,000 aggregate total).
    • NEW:Award amounts for any TEACH Grant that is first disbursed after March 1, 2013, and before Oct. 1, 2013, must be reduced by 12.6 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible. For example, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by $504, resulting in a maximum award amount of $3,496, unless the sequester order is lifted.

Student Eligibility Requirements

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) , although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
  • Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Coursework that will prepare a student to teach in a high-need subject area (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher) is acceptable.
  • Meet the following academic achievement requirements
    • Score above the 75th percentile on one of the following college admissions test(s) - SAT, ACT, GRE,Or
    • Graduate from High School with a Cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale AND maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program for which you receive a TEACH Grant.
  • Complete an online TEACH Grant counseling session.
  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay each year with the U.S. Department of Education

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay

 Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that will be available electronically on a Department of Education Web site. The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were first disbursed.

Teaching Obligation

To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant as a loan with interest you must become a highly-qualified , full-time teacherand work in a high-need subject area for at least four years within eight years of finishing the program at a school serving low-income students. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.

Highly-Qualified Teacher

You must perform the teaching service as a "highly-qualified teacher". The term highly-qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

  • the teacher has obtained full State certification as a teacher (including certification obtained through alternative routes to certification) or passed the State teacher licensing examination, and holds a license to teach in such State, except that when used with respect to any teacher teaching in a public charter school, the term means that the teacher meets the requirements set forth in the State's public charter school law; and
  • the teacher has not had certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis;

We know that many of our students choose to volunteer with the Teach for America and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after graduation. Unless a recipient meets this definition, time spent with these programs would not count toward the service requirement for the TEACH Grant Program

Additional Information:

Full-Time Teacher

You must meet the state's definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching a one of the high-need subject areas.In order for teaching to count towards meeting the service obligation, the recipient must teach in a designated " high need" field AND at a designated school. These designations can change over time. Elementary school teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

High-Need Subject Areas
  • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education
  • Other teacher shortage areas identified at the time you begin teaching. These are subject areas (not geographic areas) that are listed in the Department of Education's Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.
Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

Documentation

For each TEACH-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must also provide documentation to the Department of Education that you completed your teaching obligation. TEACH Grant recipients must also confirm to the Education Department in writing within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in the TEACH-eligible program that they are fulfilling (or planning to fulfill) the terms and conditions of the service agreement.

Documentation of the teaching service must be certified by the elementary or secondary school's chief administrative officer, upon completion of four academic years of teaching service. This documentation must show that you were a full-time , highly-qualified teacher at a school serving low-income students , teaching a high-need subject area for at least four years .

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TEACHING OBLIGATION OR PROPERLY DOCUMENT YOUR TEACHING SERVICE WILL CAUSE THE TEACH GRANT TO BE PERMANENTLY CONVERTED TO A UNSUBSIDIZED FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN WITH INTEREST. Interest would accrue from the date of the original disbursement. Note: In the Federal Register (73 fr 15354) published on Friday, March 21, 2008 the Department of Education, in projecting the estimated cost of the program, indicated that data from longitudinal studies were used to estimate the percentage of recipients who graduated from college, were highly qualified, and taught in high poverty schools for four out of the eight years following graduation. Based on this data, the Department assumed 80 percent of recipients will eventually fail to fulfill their service requirements and have their grants converted into Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans.
  • ONCE A GRANT IS CONVERTED TO A LOAN IT CAN'T BE CONVERTED BACK TO GRANT!
    • For planning purposes, please keep in mind the average Federal Student Loan debt of students completing undergraduate studies at Loyola University New Orleans. TEACH Grant disbursements that are converted to unsubsidized loans would be added to the recipient's other Federal Stafford Loan debt.
    • Students must seriously consider the financial impact that coverting these grants into loans will have on their future.
      • Average Teacher Salaries
      • Loan Payment Calculator - This Loan Payment Calculator computes an estimate of the size of your monthly loan payments and the annual salary required to manage them without too much financial difficulty. We have calculated an example for students to review before they make this important decision.
      • Students experiencing difficulty in repaying their loans should contact the Ombudsman's Office in Federal Student Aid

What are the Challenges Facing Teachers?

 

Challenges in teaching in schools serving low income students - Students who do not know anyone who has or who is currently teaching in a school serving low income students should be aware of the challenges facing teachers working in these schools. Below are several references to help you learn more about what you will be facing if you accept this commitment.

 

Additional Resources

TEACH.gov

Updated March 10, 2013